One of the two Colorado Republicans claiming the title of state Republican Party chairman sued the other on Wednesday, escalating the battle for control of the party just weeks before voters begin casting their ballots.

Since a group of members of the party’s central committee met to oust incumbent chairman Dave Williams and elect Eli Bremer as his successor, both men have insisted they are the legitimate leaders of the Colorado Republican Party and compared the other to an illegal squatter.

Both also filed briefs in separate courts this week, each reportedly on behalf of the Colorado Republican Party, asking the judges to determine that their rival lacks legitimacy.

Bremer, who was elected party chairman at a convention his opponents have called “fake” and “illegal,” filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Colorado Republican Party in El Paso County District Court on Wednesday, accusing Williams, who has led the party since last year, of breaching his contract by refusing to step down and relinquish control of the party apparatus.

The lawsuit also names Hope Scheppelman and Anna Ferguson, the party’s former and current vice-chair and secretary, respectively, depending on whether or not the meeting, which took place last Saturday at a Brighton church, was authorized to conduct party business.

Following Bremer’s election, Republicans gathered in Brighton elected former Routt County Treasurer Brita Horn as party vice chair and appointed former Mesa County GOP Chairman Kevin McCarney as Republican secretary of state.

Williams dismissed the results of that meeting as “fraudulent,” saying in a statement that it was called by a “fringe element of our state party” seeking to damage former President Donald Trump’s chances in the November election.

Since his election at the contentious meeting, Bremer, a former El Paso County Republican chairman and Trump supporter, has officially endorsed every Republican candidate in the state, something he said Williams has not done so far. Bremer told Colorado Politics the party would immediately stop undermining some of its own candidates, addressing one of the allegations critics have leveled against Williams and his party colleagues.

“The Republican candidates feel like they are under attack from the former leadership,” Bremer said. “That is the most important issue: stopping the bleeding.”

Bremer also opened what he described as a makeshift party headquarters in Colorado Springs in an office of the Peak Republicans, an offshoot of the local county party that was formed two years ago after complaints that El Paso County Republicans were not providing help to some Republican candidates.

Bremer told Colorado Politics he wants a place to store campaign materials while the newly elected party leadership seeks a court order allowing them to take over the state Republican Party’s offices in Greenwood Village, currently occupied by Williams and his team.

At the same time, Williams’ allies warned state Republicans that “hackers and thieves” were trying to steal the party’s identity. They also urged central committee members to ignore whatever happened at last weekend’s meeting and instead attend a competing meeting planned for next Saturday at a church in Castle Rock.

Williams’ defenders, meanwhile, attacked Bremer and his supporters in party emails and social media posts, calling them “Republican forces who stand up for themselves in name only” who were jeopardizing Trump’s chances in Colorado.

In an email sent to members of the Republican state central committee on Wednesday, former Rep. Ron Hanks, chairman of the party’s campaign committee and an unsuccessful congressional candidate, called the meeting that elected Bremer party chairman a “fraud” and accused Bremer and his cronies of “identity theft.”

“Sadly, a few foolish and gullible candidates took the bait and supported this immature coup, clearly stating their true political views and demonstrating how easily they could be manipulated by the Deep State should they ever get into office,” Hanks said.

Following Bremer’s election on Saturday, six of the eight Republican candidates in the U.S. House of Representatives issued a statement supporting the leadership change. Shortly afterward, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said the group viewed Bremer and his newly installed colleagues as legitimate, adding that the NRCC looked forward to working with the party.

In his lawsuit filed Wednesday, Bremer cited party charters and state law and asked the court to rule that the Republicans who organized last Saturday’s meeting followed established procedures when they voted out Williams and his deputies.

“The defendants – the fired officials – refuse to acknowledge their dismissal and continue to exercise control over the party’s property, including bank accounts, office space and web domains,” Bremer’s lawsuit states. “This lawsuit seeks to vindicate the party’s control over its own affairs and leadership.”

Williams did not respond to a request for comment on the new lawsuit.

On Tuesday, Scheppelman and several of her colleagues, including Ferguson and state party treasurer Tom Bjorklund, congratulated Williams in a mass email to the state’s Republicans on the birth of his son the day before.

“This precious new life brings tremendous joy and reminds us of the values ​​we all hold dear – faith in God, the sanctity of life and the strength of family,” the party said in the email. “Dave Williams is not only our current, duly elected Chairman of the Colorado Republican Party; he is also a devoted husband and father of four wonderful children.”

The email, which included a photo of a smiling Williams holding his newborn, continued to refute Bremer’s claims while attacking Williams’ critics.

“Under the strong leadership of Leader Dave Williams, we are on the road to victory, fully focused on the upcoming general election and committed to our 226 candidates,” the email said. “Unlike the minority fringe that seeks to impede our progress with fraud and lies, we remain undeterred and united.”

A lawsuit that Williams and the state Republican Party originally filed in Arapahoe County District Court last month – asking the court to rule that Williams’ critics did not have standing to call a convention to try to remove him – is currently going through the appeals process after several rulings had already been handed down against Williams.

This week, Williams filed an amended motion asking the appellate judges to grant a temporary restraining order to prevent his opponents from taking over the party.

Just ten weeks before the election, Williams’ court document states: “The Republican Party in the State of Colorado is entitled to two chairmen, two vice-chairmen and two secretaries, depending on party affiliation. Such a situation is unsustainable and dangerous to the public in an election cycle that urgently requires open, honest, accurate and fair elections.”

As of Wednesday, 5 p.m., the Court of Appeal had still not made a decision.